How To Write A Graduation Thank You Card

Aunt Ida sent you cash; Uncle Bob bought you that cool car stereo; your pals at the auto shop installed it for you; now you need to know how to write a graduation thank you card to let these folks know how much you appreciate their gifts? It takes only a little of your time. Just think how proud Mom will be that all those years of making you write thank you cards stuck! Not to mention, writing thank you cards for all those great, and even the not-so-great graduation gifts is simply good manners.

So how do you actually write graduation thank you cards? Is there an etiquette involved in thank you cards?

There are few hard and fast rules to thank you cards. The most important thing is to acknowledge the giver’s thoughtful gesture. They took time out of their busy schedule to send a gift to congratulate you on your accomplishment. The least you could do is say thank you.

There are, however, a few general etiquette rules you should keep in mind.

Specify the gift you received. Do it in the first sentence, or at least within the first paragraph. Something like “Thank you Uncle Bob, for the wonderful new car stereo you sent me for my graduation.”

Cash gifts are great, but don’t talk specifics. When Aunt Ida sent you that $100 bill, you were thrilled, but when you say thank you, don’t mention specific dollar amounts. It’s tacky. A simple “thank you, Aunt Ida, for your generous gift of cash” will do.

Let the giver know how you intend to use their gift. For example, that $100 Aunt Ida gave you might help cover your expenses until you find a job after graduation. You could say something like “Thanks to you, I’ll be better situated to cover living expenses while I put my new degree to work.” Uncle Bob’s radio is going to keep you entertained on the long drive to the beach for that graduation weekend celebration, let him know about it!

Most importantly, end your thank you note with a positive, lasting impression. Let the giver know how much you appreciate their participation in your graduation festivities. We all want to know our efforts mean something to the people we care about. Let your benefactor know what their support has meant to you.